Federal investigators have joined the probe into members of a multi-agency task force who are accused of stealing thousands of dollars from a drug suspect.

"The FBI has agreed to look into this matter," Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro said on Wednesday.

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His office has been investigating the case since the I-Team first reported details nearly two weeks ago.

Attorneys for Stefen Daigle told WDSU that their client was taken by plain-clothes officers to his home on St. Peter Street in the French Quarter in January 2011. There, they claim, the officers removed cash -- about $3,500 -- from a safe.

A surveillance video obtained by the I-Team shows the officers leading Daigle to his apartment and emerging a short time later with a paper sack.

Arrest documents show Daigle was taken into custody at his Mid-City art studio and do not include any visit to his home and made no reference to the bag or its contents.

Cannizzaro said the involvement of federal authorities does not mean his office is stepping away from the case.

"Just because the feds are involved, that does not mean state charges can't be filed as well," he said.

The West Bank Major Crimes Task Force, which carried out the arrest of Daigle, includes officers from New Orleans, Gretna, Westwego, Jefferson Parish and Plaquemines Parish.

WDSU legal analyst Robert Jenkins said the involvement of the FBI takes the matter to a new level.

"They are coordinating -- bringing in the feds because the NOPD and the D.A. are investigating, but they have multiple jurisdictions here and the feds can bring it all together and present it in the eastern district (federal court) as one," Jenkins said.

Cannizzaro said there is no timetable for the investigation to conclude.

Separately, the NOPD and Gretna Police Department are conducting internal investigations into the conduct of their officers. No officer has been suspended or charged with any crime.

The original charges against Daigle were dismissed after prosecutors reviewed the video that suggested